Kolkata: Big Test for skipper Dinesh Karthik as depleted Kolkata Knight Riders side will face a resurgent Delhi Daredevils led by former KKR captain Gautam Gambhir in mouth watering clash in the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens tomorrow.

After two back to back loses against Chennai Super Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad,KKR will be desperate to get back to the winning ways, on the other hand Delhi will be aiming to continue their winning momentum after registering a great win over Mumbai Indians last night.

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders started their campaign this season with a bang as they beat Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore but they are now in a spot of bother after facing two back to back loses.

On the flip side of it, Delhi Daredevils had lost their first game against Kings XI Punjab and then lost the next game against Rajasthan Royals in a rain interrupted game. But they bounced back in style at the Wankhede Stadium against Mumbai Indians on Saturday to get their first win. Star English batsman Jason Roy’s 91 runs knock was the key behind Delhi’s success.

DD’s Kolkata leg fixture means their Team India speedster Mohammed Shami is all set to return to his home town for the first time after his wife had accused him of infidelity and domestic abuse last month a controversy that had hogged the headlines.

In the latest development, Jahan has filed a case at Alipore court on April 10 and Shami has been summoned within 15 days.

Shami has turned out in all the three matches for DD and a team official said there’s no question of his availability.

On the field, it will be Gambhir who will have the upper hand despite DD’s poor 8-12 head-to-head record against KKR.

Gambhir, who was associated with KKR since 2011, has better knowledge of the conditions and he will be keen to make a point against his former franchise, who did not retain him this year.

Included in the DD side at the expense of Colin Munro, Roy showed his prowess with a sizzling display as the Englishmen smashed his career best T20 score to pull off a tricky last ball victory.

Gambhir can heave a sigh of relief after their batting combination clicked following some experimentation in the first two matches. He too would like to score some runs against his former franchise.

As DD look to climb up the table, KKR will be keen to arrest their slide and they will have to do a lot of soul-searching first and foremost would be to get their batting organised.

Bringing in-form Sunil Narine down the order did not help their cause and he might be back at his opening slot. KKR also need to back the Under-19 World Cup winning duo of Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi.

The youngster duo didn’t get enough time in the middle to prove themselves as Gill, primarily a No 3 batsman, came only at No 7, while Mavi’s raw pace and energy were left untested as he was not introduced during the Powerplay.

Karthik would also hope that his deputy Robin Uthappa, who is a KKR veteran, shoulders more responsibility with the bat as his scores of 13, 29 and 3 have been a big letdown.

Asked to open, Uthappa looked clueless particularly against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and it remains to be seen whether he would open again with DD boasting pace duo of Trent Boult and Shami up front.

It’s also high time that Karthik backs his skill and makes an impact before questions are raised about his captaincy as he would be under immense pressure in one of the biggest tests of his career.